Parents of teens killed in Parkland shooting announce school board run

By Scott Travis

|Sun Sentinel|

May 15, 2018 | 1:49 PM

Ryan Petty, second from left, and Lori Alhadeff, who both lost their children in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, file to run for the Broward County School Board, Tuesday, May 15, 2018, at the Supervisor of Elections office in Fort Lauderdale. Sean Phillippi, a political consultant, is at far left. (Joe Cavaretta /South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Two parents whose children were killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre announced Tuesday that they are running for seats on the Broward School Board.

Alhadeff, 43, whose daughter Alyssa was killed, will be running for the District 4 seat, which Abby Freedman, 51, now occupies. Freedman said last month she plans to run for re-election in the district that includes the Parkland high school, but she has yet to file with the Supervisor of Elections.

Alhadeff is a former classroom teacher in New Jersey and has a master's degree in education. She traveled to Indiana recently with some Parkland parents and school officials to visit a campus dubbed the "safest school in America" to get ideas on how to improve school security.

"After the terrible tragedy that my family and our community suffered through on Valentine's Day, I am ready to roll up my sleeves and use all of my education, training and experience to make the schools in Broward a model for excellence," she said.

FILE - In a March 23, 2018 file photo, Lori Alhadeff, center, is comforted by her husband Ilan Alhadeff, as she holds a photograph of their daughter, Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, who was killed in the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, while they attend a news conference on gun violence, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Lori Alhadeff announced her candidacy Tuesday, May 15, 2018, for a seat on the school board in the district that includes the city of Parkland, where Stoneman Douglas is located. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File) (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Petty, 48, whose daughter Alaina was killed, is challenging incumbent Donna Korn, 46, for the at-large county seat. Korn also has a third challenger, 19-year-old activist Elijah Manley.

Petty works in the telecom industry and was appointed to a state commission investigating the Stoneman Douglas tragedy.

"The School Board is entrusted with governing our community's public schools, and right now, the School Board isn't working for us," he said. "As a School Board member, I intend to ask the tough questions and hold all accountable, in order to ensure that we are givnig our kids, teachers and parents the right resources and tools to do their job and ensure a quality education."

Alhadeff and Petty plan to announce a political action committee, called Broward Parents for Better and Safer Schools, to support their candidacies.

PARKLAND, FL - FEBRUARY 14: People are brought out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school that reportedly killed and injured multiple people on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Florida. Numerous law enforcement officials continue to investigate the scene. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** (Joe Raedle)

They're also being endorsed by a group of Parkland parents called Concerned Citizens of Broward County. Initially formed to address concerns with school security, the group started focusing on replacing School Board members after feeling the district wasn't responsive to their concerns, said John Daly Sr., who runs the group's Facebook page.

The group is also supporting former Stoneman Douglas teacher Richard Mendelson against incumbent Laurie Rich Levinson for the District 6 seat, which includes Weston, Cooper City and Davie.

Jim Silvernale, a union representative for district maintenance workers, has also received the group's endorsement. He's challenging incumbent Ann Murray for the District 1 seat, which includes Hollywood, Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach.

School Board member Nora Rupert, a longtime critic of Superintendent Robert Runcie, is the only incumbent the group plans to support. She is being challenged by Mikelange Olbel, who runs a nonprofit for underprivileged youth.